The present invention relates to a device for controlling the pitch or tone of a bass drum. Specifically, the device can be operated to change the tension of a batter head on a bass drum to modulate the frequency of vibration at the drum and, therefore, the sound produced by the drum.
A bass drum is a double-headed drum having a hollow cylindrical shell closed at each end by skins or heads that are stretched around the peripheries of the shell and tightened about the shell by means of keys and adjustable bolts or the like. It should be noted that with all bass drums the frequency of vibration of the batter head is controlled by both by the tension of the batter head and by the tension of the outer vibrating head. However, since the tension of a drum head cannot be adjusted while the drum is being played, a conventional bass drum produces a single tone or pitch.
The strength of the blows to the batter head can also influence the tone or pitch produced. But this technique of varying the drum tone by increasing or decreasing the force of the blow to the batter head requires a considerable degree of skill on the part of the drummer. For reference purposes, the term "pitch" as used herein describes the results obtained by changing the tension of the batter head, rather than the sound produced by changes in the loudness of the note.
Over the years, tensioning devices have been developed which can control the tension of the batter head and, therefore, the tone produced by the batter head so that the pitch of the drum can be modulated. But only a limited number of tones can be produced by the majority of these arrangements. In addition, as previously indicated for conventional head tightening means, these assemblies usually require the drummer to stop playing to tune the drum to the desired tone or pitch. Such devices are described below.